If Only You Knew
by DaBiscuit
Summary: No one missed him. No one wished for his return. No one, except her. Oneshot.


**If Only You Knew**

**Disclaimer: I in no way, shape, or form, own, or claim to own Avatar; The Last Airbender.**

* * *

Fire. Even though the great element was her nation, her blood, her soul, the sight of the single flame still brought her into a deep state of thought. How beautiful, yet consuming, always taking control. Whether that is a wick, a forest, or a mind, the fire always had the upper hand.

She stared at the candle, focusing on the small flame that seemed to dance upon it's charred wick. She adored the blue haze that coated the exterior of the fire. She was amazed at the transparency of the center, where the flame covered the blackened wick, making it appear blurred, and how this changed into a bright area of solid light, where, if not taking once eyes off of it for a time, would seem to remain after the eyelids were closed. And the tops of the flame, the pinnacle, how it trembled when she breathed out slowly, making the shadows on her darkened walls rise and fall, brighten and fade.

Such a simple thing and yet so complex.

She remained in that position, legs folded beneath her, hands clasped together, eyes focusing on the flame, for an immeasurable amount of time. She lost herself. Her mind wandered, giving her body a sense of release and calmness. She could feel everything. She glorified in feeling the ends of her toes, the tips of her fingers. She was amazed also at what she didn't feel. Anxiety, fear, worry, sadness, and loneliness. These emotions seemed so far away to her, so unattainable. And she liked that.

But her calmed state shattered, the weight of consciousness piling back onto her shoulders at the sound of the knock. She turned slowly towards the door, sharp eyes piercing through the dark, focusing on the origin of the disturbance.

"Come in."

Slowly, the door was pushed open, causing a ray of light to seep into the room. A head appeared through the door, the face of one of many housemaids smiling sheepishly at the sitting figure. She slipped into the room, pushing the door shut behind her, and let the multitude of candles continue to be the single light source. She swallowed uncomfortably, shifting the weight off of her left foot to her right while staring at the back of her master's head.

"What is it you come to me for?"

The servant pulled her hands from behind her back, revealing a piece of parchment, folded many times into a small, rectangular shape.

"My Lady, a letter has arrived for you, straight from the Fire Nation Capital!"

At this the woman turned her head so her left eye could bring the servant into view.

"Bring it here, Sirai."

The servant complied, shuffling quickly up to the woman and holding the letter within her reach. Slowly, the Lady lifted her hand and wrapped her fingers around it, relishing in it's smooth surface. Immediately, Sirai released it and stumbled backwards, bowing sloppily.

"Thank you. You may leave now."

Without question nor comment, Sirai spun on her heels towards the door and practically sprinted out of her Lady's chambers. She knew when she needed to exit. And quickly.

After she heard the sound of the door being pulled closed, the Lady brought the envelope up closer to her eyes. In small, neat, handwriting was her name. She frowned to herself, and slowly began unfolding it, taking extra precaution not to rip the thin paper.

_It's not his writing._

After many gently folds, the Lady could finally see that her message was indeed a letter, written in the same, neat handwriting.

_To The Lady Rhianna;_

_As a General of the great Firenation Navy, I have found it only proper that I should be the one to inform you of the recent tragedy that has occurred in the Northern Water Tribe territory._

_During a fierce attack, the formidable Admiral Zhao was killed by what is said to have been the water spirit. I myself was not present at the time of his passing, but I am informed by three of my most trustworthy soldiers that he remained strong even while in the clutches of the raging spirit._

_I express my deepest sympathies to you in your time of grieving. May the great Agni look upon you with favor._

_Signed;_

_General Jui_

Almost as soon as she had read the last lines of the letter, the parchment slipped soundlessly through her limp hands, falling to her knees. The Lady raised her head defiantly, but to no avail, as the tears ran down her cheeks with impressing motion. She squeezed her eyes shut, allowing herself a stuttering breath before letting her head fall onto her chest. Her hands, which were now clasp together in desperation on her lap, shook slightly as tear after tear fell onto her maroon skirts.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd wept as hard as she did at that moment. She tried to regain her composure, tried to calm herself, to stare into the flame's depths, but the sea of dread would not release her.

"Lady Rhianna?"

The voice was soft, wondering, possibly scared. Without turning the Lady shook her head, taking her hand to wipe her tear-stained cheeks.

"Yes?"

"Dinner is ready."

The Lady put her head down low onto her chest, embarrassment flooding her.

"I will not be attending tonight." She whispered.

The servant, still shocked from the sight of seeing the Lady weeping, nodded and left quickly.

The Lady remained in her fetal position a few moments before gathering her bearings and struggling to rise. Her legs would not cooperate with her biddings, and she numbly stumbled over to her large bed against the left wall. She sat down upon it, letting her body sink down into the depths of the downy mattress. She felt nothing, but not as she had before.

This wasn't a "good" nothing.

Slowly, she pushed herself farther onto the bed, letting herself go back far enough to rest her back flush against the wall. Her bare feet dangled over the edge, the silky skirts of her gown covering her legs.

Gently, she rested her head on the wall, watching as the candles' light flickered across the room. How could it all happen so fast?

She smiled to herself, grabbing her blanket that bore a large Firenation insignia and wraped her suddenly cold body in it like a butterfly in a cocoon.

_It wasn't too long ago,_ she thought, _when I first saw him..._

* * *

The young woman walked proudly out of the back door of her father's residence. Dressed in a simple pair of black, silken training pants and a matching sleeve-less top, she could have easily been mistaken for a firebender preparing to undergo a rigorous lesson.

And how she wished that was true.

The young Rhianna had not been blessed with the control over the most fierce element in the world. Her father told her it was a gift that she did not have it. She herself saw it as a flaw.

But, Rhianna _was_ going to a lesson.

A riding lesson to be precise.

Every day, at the same time, Rhianna would walk down the cobblestone path behind her home to the stable, where she would receive her lesson from Yanji, one of the most skilled Komodo-Rhino trainers in the Firenation.

Rhianna loved to ride, loved to feel like she was at the top of the world, but today, she was even more excited than usual.

For today, Yanji had actually trusted her to tack up alone and begin warming up before he arrived.

To Rhianna, it was like the best gift in the world. And, she had a gift for someone else, too, which was concealed in a small bag now hidden behind her back.

Upon reaching the stable, Rhianna slipped soundlessly inside and carefully shut the door, not wanting to scare the easily excitable young rhinos.

She snuck past the first row of stalls, all the way down to the last section, where she found the stall she was looking for.

She peaked over the door, happy to see her favorite rhino dozing quietly in the corner.

"Kuiya." she whispered, leaning over the half door. "Kuiya!"

Slowly, the rhino stirred and turned slightly towards her, snorting softly.

"It's just me boy! You ready?"

This time the rhino turned it's back on her.

"Kuiya!" she scolded, opening the door and walking cautiously to his head, being careful to avoid the large tail, which could crush her against the stable wall.

"I have a surprise for you!" she whispered, pulling the bag out from behind her back and holding it towards him to smell.

The rhino sniffed deeply before turning away again. "Now, I know what will get you interest..." she giggled as she withdrew a fresh peach from the bag. Immediately, Kuiya turned his head and engulfed the fruit in a single flick of his upper lip, and began chewing upon it loudly.

"That's not all," she said, fishing around in the bag again, "I made this for you, I know you hate that horrible metal armor they put on your face, so..." she pulled a wadded piece of black and red fabric from the bag, "I made you a softer one!"

Again, the rhino turned his head and tried to eat the fabric in her hand.

"No! Don't eat it!" she whispered harshly, pulling the mask out of his reach. "Now let's try it on."

Carefully, Rhianna began slipping the hood over his horns, trying not to yank on them too hard. He hated that. But, about half way through the process, Rhianna couldn't help but laugh.

Kuiya's head was too wide for the fabric, causing it to stretch and fray, totally distorting the insignia she had sewed on it. Before he went berserk, she pulled the hood back off and stuffed it back in the bag.

"Well Kuiya, I guess sewing can now go onto my "can't do" list!"

The rhino snorted in reply.

Rhianna grabbed the collar from the hook above his feedbox and looped it around his neck, attaching the lead rope onto the brass ring hanging from it. Gently, she stood at his shoulder and as she had been taught, turned around fully and began backing the rhino out the door.

Used to the routine, Kuiya complied, letting himself be led down the hallway to the end, where rows of tack hung from hooks on the wall.

Rhianna cross tied him and began plucking items off the wall she'd need, saddle blanket, saddle, bridle, breast color, and the dreaded head armor.

"Now hold still." she commanded as she set the black blanket into place before carefully lifting her saddle onto his back. Unlike the bulky warrior's saddles like her father's men used, she used a much smaller saddle that looked completely stupid on the large rhino.

Next, she connected the "arms" of the breast collar to the rings on her saddle and pulled the single tie between his legs and clipped it onto the girth.

Then, she placed the dreaded head armor over his two smaller horns and his one large horn, carefully so as not to get her arm impaled on it's sharpened tip.

And finally, the bridle. The disgusting, horrible, bridle.

"Okay Kuiya, here it comes." she warned as she held the metal bar up to his mouth. He didn't budge. So, she resorted to the old-fashioned way.

Rhianna slid two fingers into the back of his mouth and pushed down, causing him to open just long enough to slip the bit in place. With that fun job done, she continued to slip the headstall in place and tightened the chinstrap, then toss the long reins over his neck and tie them in front of the saddle.

Finally, she stepped back to admire her handy work.

Kuiya just snorted.

"Well, let's ride boy!" she called to him triumphantly, leading him through a corridor that would open up to the outdoor arena.

The warm sun collided on the pair, but Rhianna gave it no head and walked back to Kuiya's shoulder. Gently, she placed her foot in the stirrup and as always, pulled herself into the saddle, taking a few moments to position herself. It was such a nice day, a perfect day for riding.

And that's when she saw them.

Her father's entire division sat atop of the Firenavy rhino's, staring blankly at her.

_Great. Just Great_.

"Rhianna, what are you doing?"

Her father's demanding voice snapped her out of her shock. He sat in front of them, mounted on his favorite rhino, Syara.

"I-I was just warming up. Yanji told me..."

"Yanji obviously neglected to tell you that I was working with my men today." he stated calmly before turning Syara towards her.

"I won't bother you father, I will just warm up on this half of the arena. You are not using it are you?"

Admiral Hyuo shook his head exasperated at his 15-year-old daughter.

"Yes you may, but don't disturb me."

"Yes, sir." she whispered, feeling her cheeks flush a horrible shade of red. Her father still treated her like a child!

Defeated, Rhianna began walking Kuiya around their half of the arena. Then, she pushed him into a trot, making sure to keep herself in position. The last thing she needed right now was to have her father yell at her for improperly riding his rhino.

And that's when it happened.

"GET BACK HERE!"

A large herd of turkey-ducks exploded through the split rail fencing of the arena, the angry old woman who tended them hobbling behind.

Kuiya immediately balked, shaking his head and backing up rapidly. Rhianna began to seesaw the reins to get his attention back on her, but the sound of their wings flapping just drove him wild. Without warning, his large tail swung around, hitting Rhianna squarely in the side, knocking her flat out of the saddle.

She felt the air being knocked out of her, and she felt her head smack off of the ground as she skidded in the dirt.

It took her a few moments to be able to sit up, let alone breath. That was painful. Her head felt like it may explode, and she could feel a knot already forming. But that left her mind when she saw Kuiya.

The rhino was dancing in circles, frantically whipping his tail from side to side, all the while trying to shish-ka-bob the turkey-ducks that were attacking him.

Rhianna jumped up, running straight towards the wild rhino. She called his name while desperately trying to grab a hold of his bridle.

She reached with all her might, hoping to clamp her hand around the soft leather, but Kuiya's frightened movements made her miss. She could feel the panic rising in her as he started to jump into the air.

She finally grasped the leather in her hand and held on, pulling his head down. The rhino mistaking her for a duck, thrashed his head towards her, grazing her already sore side with his horn. But Rhianna would not let go. She continued saying his name in a soothing voice, trying with all her might to keep from crying from the now bleeding wound.

And as fast as he'd balked, he calmed. Kuiya suddenly stopped dancing and stood still beside the frightened girl who still was clinging onto dear life to his bridle, whispering his name over and over.

"Rhianna!" her father bellowed as she heard him run up to her. Slowly, she loosened her grip on the bridle and looked up at him. His expression was of pure worry.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, sending a threatening glance back to his whispering crew.

She felt herself go beet red, again. "Yes, I'm fine." her voice was barely even a whisper.

"Now what were you thinking?" he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "You could have been killed!"

"I had to. Kuiya was going to hurt himself."

"OR MY DUCKS!" the old woman barked, picking up one of the feathery nucences and holding him close to her.

Her father ignored the woman and glared fully at his daughter.

"I don't care! Now go un-tack that animal and go get that cut cleaned." he hissed, stalking away, leaving a crestfallen Rhianna.

Slowly, she walked Kuiya back to his stall and did as she was told. After putting him away and checking for any injuries, she ignored her father's demand to go see the healer and sat down in front of the wall of tack, sadly cleaning her saddle.

"I can't do anything right." she whispered, feeling the tears prick at the corner of her eyes. She put her head down and scrubbed harder, causing a thick lather to form, while her dark brown hair fell into her face.

"That was pretty brave out there."

The voice caught Rhianna off guard and she lifted her head. She was surprised to see one of her father's soldiers standing in front of her. Dressed in the usual Firenavy armor, he was probably at least six feet tall, with the darkest brown hair and even darker eyes. She guessed he was possibly in his late teens.

"Thanks, I guess." she whispered, looking back down at her saddle.

"You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

The soldier turned towards the wall of tack and picked up a bridle. Seeing the quizzical look he received from the woman, he smiled.

"I broke a bridle. You're not the only one who's having a bad day."

At his mention of her fight with the rhino, she felt her face heat up again, but, she also felt...better.

"Thanks...again." she laughed, finally lifting her face. The soldier had turned towards her, finding the new bridle he had been looking for.

"You should get that looked at." He stated calmly, watching as she held onto her side tenderly.

"It's fine." she hissed back, giving him a look that stated as simple as could be; I-am-not-a-little-girl-jackass.

"Suit yourself." he said over his shoulder, walking back down the dark corridor to the arena.

"Wait!" she cried, jumping upwards only to receive a sharp pain radiating from the wound, which propelled her back down.

He turned back slowly, scowling as she clutched her side.

"Yes?"

"You didn't tell me your name!" she declared through clenched teeth.

He only chuckled and continued walking.

"But," she began; attempting to rise again, but his voice beat hers.

"Zhao."

She stopped in mid-stand and stared at him.

"Well then, uh, I'm,"

"Rhianna," he finished for her, continuing to walk, "the whole division knows your name now."

She could tell he was smiling.

"Well then, Zhao, I hope we meet again someday." she whispered, figuring he wouldn't even hear her. But to her surprise, his deep voice answered her.

"Oh, only if we become lucky.

She smirked at his disappearing figure.

"Yeah, only if we're lucky."

* * *

And, as she sat on her bed, wrapped up in her blanket, reliving that embarrassing yet vital day, she couldn't help but think to herself how lucky they must have been.

After their encounter, she always looked for him, smiled to him when he passed, prayed to Agni that he would win during a firebending duel. But soon, things became more than that.

The two found themselves walking unnecessarily close in wide hallways, letting their shoulders brush against each others, or even hiding in an empty stall in the stable to just talk about anything.

He became her best friend, and she loved seeing him day after day. He was the only person her age, (well, he was three years her senior, but that didn't matter to them) who she could talk to.

But they had to be secretive about their visits, for Rhianna knew quite well what her father would do if he caught Zhao even speaking to her.

So for a whole year, the two met in the middle of the night, sneaking away to a private place just to relish in each other's company. And one particular time, she remembered, had been more special than all the others. Zhao had just returned from a mission in the Earth Kingdom...

The sixteen-year-old Rhianna sat at her dresser, brushing her long mane out for bed. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her worry was finally gone, Zhao was back!

She continued brushing, loosing herself in the simple rhythm. But her calmness was soon broken.

_Ping_

She spun around when she heard the sound on her window. No one was there, so she went back to her mirror, nervously putting her brush back. It happened again. She jumped, grabbing the brush like a weapon.

"Well," she whispered, rising from her seat and holding the brush over her head, "it's now or never."

She snuck along the wall, pressing her body to it as close as she could. Apon reaching the window, she reached her arm out, grabbing the side and pulling it close to her, opening the window. She peeked out, searching the ground with her eyes.

"Zhao!" she whispered excitedly, seeing him standing, arms crossed, below her window. Being that she was three stories skyward, he appeared quite small.

"Hello Rhianna, long time no see." she smiled widely, pivoting her head from the left to the right to make sure no one had poked their heads out to see what the noises were.

"Can you get out?" he called.

She looked behind her, hoping no one would open the door.

"Uh, yeah! I think I can, stay right there!" she called back, shutting the window and creeping to the door.

Rhianna carefully slipped out of her room into the darkened hallway. She picked her way along finding the stairs relatively easily and cautiously stepped down them. But when her foot hit the squeaky-step, she froze in place. She waited; making sure no one was coming before sprinting down the rest, darting through a corridor into the dining room.

Usually the room was packed, but at two hours after midnight, it was desolate. She crawled through the dining room into the entry, were, instead of using the door, she opened a window and squeezed through.

Plopping ungracefully into the wet grass, she jumped up immediately and brushed herself off, blushing as she realized all she had on was her nightgown.

She crept around the side of the house and saw Zhao standing patiently underneath her vacant window.

"Pssss!" she hissed, catching his attention. He smiled widely and turned to walk to her, but he didn't have time...

Rhianna ran towards him, encircling her arms around his strong neck, pulling herself close to his warm body.

He laughed, nuzzling his head into the crook of her neck.

"It's been too long." she complained, relishing in the feel of him, the smell of him.

"Only a month, Rhianna!" he chuckled, finding her reaction quite pleasant.

She only smiled up at him. "How was it."

Zhao looked around them, his eyes scanning the dark.

"Come on, I know where we can go, we can't risk getting caught."

She nodded as he grabbed onto hand and led her into the night.

The couple walked as quietly as possible out into the blackened forest. Rhianna stayed as close to Zhao as she possibly could, fearing that she would get lost in the darkness. But Zhao seemed as though he could see every rock, twig, and tree in his path. She guessed it was a perk of his training.

Finally, Zhao stopped, motioning his hand around him in arch. "They won't find us here."

She smiled, watching as he gathered a pile of needles and twigs and started a small fire to keep them warm by. He sat down in front of it, motioning her to come and join in.

Complying with his request, Rhianna scooted next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Now tell me all about it."

Zhao leaned back, letting his arms go behind him to support his weight.

"Well, we went to this small village in the Earth Kingdom, Kora I believe. There had been word of an uprising, so we just watched them, made sure they didn't try anything. All in all it was quite boring. Nothing happened..."

"Then why were you there a whole month?" she questioned.

"Just to be sure, the last thing the Firenation needs is a small village wiping out a whole division. We need all the firebenders we can get now."

"What do you mean now?"

Zhao stopped to think for a moment, letting his head fall to the side slightly.

"Well, the Fire Lord is suspicious of the Northern Water Tribe. He seems to believe they're up to something."

Rhianna watched his facial expressions, hoping she hadn't poked too far, but Zhao still seemed calm and relaxed.

"I hope they don't."

Zhao smiled, letting his hand fall to his pocket.

"Well, guarding is not all I did..."

Suddenly, he removed a small wooden box. Rhianna gasped as he handed it to her.

"For me?"

He nodded, smiling brightly at the look of astonishment on her face.

She was in shock. He had never bought her anything before.

"Well, are you going to open it?"

She nodded quickly as she carefully pried the top off with her fingers. She nearly fell over at that moment...

Sitting on a small pillow inside the box was the most beautiful necklace she'd ever laid eyes on. It was made of a brown of twine, woven together to form a braid. In the center of braid was a wooden circle with a character carved into it. On either said was an elegant red bead.

"Oh Zhao!" she exclaimed, reaching over to hug his neck. He smirked, feeling satisfaction at her approval. He had known she'd like it.

"There was an old woman in town selling them, I saw that one and it reminded me of you. The character, it means love."

At the last part of his sentence she looked up from the necklace to stare directly into his eyes. She noticed that they seemed almost scared, like he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"So, you love me?" she whispered.

Zhao, suddenly at a loss for words, shook his head and stared dully at the ground. "That was a stupid thing to say..."

But Rhianna stopped his arguing by pressing her lips to his.

Zhao was startled at her sudden movement, but he found himself slowly beginning to respond to her act.

She pulled away from him without warning, fumbling with the necklace. "Umm...c-could you put this on for me?"

He nodded, mouth still partially open, and numbly tied the braid behind her neck.

She turned to show him, flinging her hair behind her shoulder, smiling nervously at him.

"Well, umm, what do you think?"

Zhao smiled slightly, letting his eyes focus on that character.

"Beautiful."

* * *

Rhianna laughed out loud as she sat on the bed. That had been the first time she'd ever kissed him, or anybody for that matter. She specifically remembered how nervous they'd both been. She shook her head, letting her hand come up to her neck, to run her hand over the now worn necklace.

She hardly ever took it off.

But now, she wished she could have that Zhao back. The kind, considerate, romantic Zhao.

She remembered how they used to always be together, how he always said the right things. But as the years had progressed, he had changed.

The new Zhao had been devoted fully to the Fire Lord. She figured it was around the time he'd been appointed to Commander. After that, he'd become power hungry.

And she hadn't liked that.

She put her head down, letting herself go back to the last time she'd saw him. She frowned. It seemed like ages ago, when in reality, it had only been a few months.

"Lady Rhianna! The Commander is here to see you!" the servant cried, scurrying through the door and into her room. Rhianna smiled, turning to her.

"Tell him he can come in."

The servant nodded, scurrying back out of the room to deliver the message.

Rhianna, in the meantime, fixed the long skirts of her dress, desperately trying to smooth out all the wrinkles.

Suddenly she heard his laugh.

"Zhao!" she cried, jumping up to see him. He simply raised his eyebrow. "That's Commander Zhao now, Rhianna."

She shook her head, as she stood in front of him, staring up into his face.

"You'll always be Zhao to me." she whispered. He smirked and walked past her to the window.

"Something is on your mind." she declared turning to stand a ways behind him. "You're not focused."

"I have a lot on my mind."

She nodded, walking the rest of the way to stand beside him.

"Like what?"

"Like the Avatar."

Rhianna stared wistfully out the window. Sometimes she wished she was the avatar so Zhao would pay more attention to her...

"Where is he now?"

"How am I supposed to know?" he snapped, turning away from the window to walk over to the other side of her room.

She sighed, realizing he wasn't going to talk to her like he used to. His business was now, "private".

"I heard the Prince had him in custody."

Zhao scoffed. "That boy is no Prince. And to prove my point, he let him escape."

"Oh." was about all she could say.

"But I will capture him." he declared, walking straight up to Rhianna, getting so close that he could hear her breathing, the steady in and out.

"I'm leaving for awhile Rhianna. I don't know when I will be able to return."

She felt her heart drop to the floor.

"Oh." she whispered shakily.

Zhao looked down upon her, a heavy scowl covering his face. The weakness she expressed made him feel disgust. The one thing that had been beaten out of him was the only thing his love showed at this point.

"I won't be gone forever." He stated, watching as she stared at him, her eyes-only coming to about his chest.

"But," she whispered, resting her head on his hard breastplate in a gentle show of compassion, "if you're going to be gone so long, maybe we should..."

Zhao smirked, understandingly perfectly well what she was getting at. He stepped away from her, striding confidently over to the door.

Opening it, he pulled off the red sash that crossed across his chest and tied it loosely on the doorknob, then shut the door, tightly.

For the red sash meant one simple message to all the servants.

Do not disturb.

* * *

Rhianna couldn't help but sigh in remembrance of that night. How different he had acted. His touch was not as gentle, his passion one of ruthlessness. She remembered at one point being afraid of him. And she had never been before.

But she even wished that he'd be alive so she could be afraid of him.

At least he would be around...

She clutched onto the blanket, feeling another wave of tears.

Why?

She swallowed most of the salty droplets, trying with all her might to regain her composure.

To busy herself she slid off of the bed, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders like a protective cloak and glided soundlessly over to the window and her still burning candle. It was set on a metal pedestal, given to her as a present from her mother. She kept it in front of all the other candles, making the highlight of her display.

Fire.

How it could destroy happiness and create sorrow.

But, how it could cause a sense of peace and tranquility.

She smiled to herself. Fire was it's own antithesis.

Irony.

Cruel Irony.

Gently, Rhianna moved her shoulders, letting the blanket fall to the floor, it's impact causing the candles to flutter dangerously.

She exposed her body to the heat of the single candle. She felt its warmth through her thin gown.

She breathed in deeply, looking down upon herself. She lifted a shaky hand to her abdomen. Even in the dim lighting, she could see the beginning of a small bulge. Carefully, she let her hand rub the slight curve it caused.

She closed her eyes, her hand still moving slowly and rhythmically over her stomach.

The tears began to trickle past her closed eyelids.

"Maybe, if you had known," she whispered, "just maybe, you would have stayed."

She took in a raspy breath, stopping her hand's movements for a moment.

If only he had known he was going to be a father,

Maybe he would still be alive.

* * *

**Well, here's my first try at an Avatar fanfic. Hope you enjoyed it! I know, Zhao seems extremely ooc in some parts, but in the way I look at it, he _could_ have been different when he was younger... Please RnR! I would greatly appreciate any feedback. But please, no flames. If you didn't like it, I'm sure you can tell me why in a civilized way. Constructive criticism is welcome, by all means! Thanks for reading!**

**-DaBiscuit**


End file.
